Do you agree that this story has a happy ending?
The book has both a happy and an unhappy ending. Since I am use to the kind of books where the happy ending is the boy finds his family and they live together happily ever after or the kind of book where there is no happy ending at all, this book was difficult for me.Pi did have a happy ending because he made it 227 days in a lifeboat with a tiger. But the story was sad because all of his family died. -Dominique
In the beginning of the story Pi seemed to have a strong relationship with his family despite the few ins and outs experienced by almost every family person. Although it was quite uplifting that Pi was able to maintain the impressive amount of composure to survive his ordeal, he now has to live the rest of his life without his family at his side. This proves to be a relatively unhappy ending. Some may say that the fact that he survives makes the ending a pleasant one which generally speaking is relatively true, but having to live without the sanctity of a home and family is fearful and depressing. -Ethan
The story has a happy ending, depending on how one looks at it. One can believe that it is not a happy ending because even though Pi survived, he lost his family and possessions and basically all he had to live for. He had to start all over again from scratch. On the other hand, even though Pi did lose everything, he had a life altering experience. Many people in history have had life altering experiences and some had God and religion to help guide them to rebuild and reinvent their lives and though Pi now longer has a family, he has the memories of them which can be more than enough to some. -Jenna
The ending to The Life of Pi can be looked at as both a sad and happy ending. Personally, I think that the ending was a rather sad ending. Sure Pi's convictions grew, but he also lost everything he had. He did have his theology previous to the voyage. It wasn't a completely sad story. It had it's upsides. I feel that losing everything that is near and dear to you for faith is a bit of an unfair trade. -Dave
I think that maybe the story did have a happy ending. In the story he lost his family but when he got to Canada he made a new one. Despite everything that happened he had a life, a family, and faith. After everything that happened he seemed to be excepting of his place in the universe. He had a wife, a son, and a daughter. He also had a job, education, and a house, that was much more than he could have looked forward to on the boat or even the island. The story ended with family, shelter, and nurishment-isn't that happy? -Diana
I didn’t know what to expect for the “happy ending,” so I let it slip my mind in order to pay attention to the story. It was ‘happy’ in that he didn’t die, but perhaps a ‘goodbye’ to Richard Parker would have been nice. Overall, it was a happy ending for Pi because he did end up in Canada with a beautiful wife and two children, but the book’s ending was kind of random and not exactly ‘happy.’ |Nicolette
I believe that the story had a happy ending because Pi truly understands all of the faiths that he had been practicing. He has been able to experience a time where most people would give up all faith and he worked through that time. He came out of a really hard time alive and having a better faith than he went into the experience with. This is what makes the story happy in the end ~Megan
The book has both a happy and an unhappy ending. Since I am use to the kind of books where the happy ending is the boy finds his family and they live together happily ever after or the kind of book where there is no happy ending at all, this book was difficult for me.Pi did have a happy ending because he made it 227 days in a lifeboat with a tiger. But the story was sad because all of his family died. -Dominique
In the beginning of the story Pi seemed to have a strong relationship with his family despite the few ins and outs experienced by almost every family person. Although it was quite uplifting that Pi was able to maintain the impressive amount of composure to survive his ordeal, he now has to live the rest of his life without his family at his side. This proves to be a relatively unhappy ending. Some may say that the fact that he survives makes the ending a pleasant one which generally speaking is relatively true, but having to live without the sanctity of a home and family is fearful and depressing. -Ethan
The story has a happy ending, depending on how one looks at it. One can believe that it is not a happy ending because even though Pi survived, he lost his family and possessions and basically all he had to live for. He had to start all over again from scratch. On the other hand, even though Pi did lose everything, he had a life altering experience. Many people in history have had life altering experiences and some had God and religion to help guide them to rebuild and reinvent their lives and though Pi now longer has a family, he has the memories of them which can be more than enough to some. -Jenna
The ending to The Life of Pi can be looked at as both a sad and happy ending. Personally, I think that the ending was a rather sad ending. Sure Pi's convictions grew, but he also lost everything he had. He did have his theology previous to the voyage. It wasn't a completely sad story. It had it's upsides. I feel that losing everything that is near and dear to you for faith is a bit of an unfair trade. -Dave
I think that maybe the story did have a happy ending. In the story he lost his family but when he got to Canada he made a new one. Despite everything that happened he had a life, a family, and faith. After everything that happened he seemed to be excepting of his place in the universe. He had a wife, a son, and a daughter. He also had a job, education, and a house, that was much more than he could have looked forward to on the boat or even the island. The story ended with family, shelter, and nurishment-isn't that happy? -Diana
I didn’t know what to expect for the “happy ending,” so I let it slip my mind in order to pay attention to the story. It was ‘happy’ in that he didn’t die, but perhaps a ‘goodbye’ to Richard Parker would have been nice. Overall, it was a happy ending for Pi because he did end up in Canada with a beautiful wife and two children, but the book’s ending was kind of random and not exactly ‘happy.’ |Nicolette
I believe that the story had a happy ending because Pi truly understands all of the faiths that he had been practicing. He has been able to experience a time where most people would give up all faith and he worked through that time. He came out of a really hard time alive and having a better faith than he went into the experience with. This is what makes the story happy in the end ~Megan